Emoji: A Language of Pictures與時俱進的emoji
Emoji: A Language of Pictures
When you send a text message, do you talk in words or in pictures?
People who use emoji can express themselves with pictures of everything from cartoon faces to animals to food.
使用表情符號（emoji）的人們可以利用卡通臉部表情、動物還有食物等各種圖片來表達自己。
Emoji are more than just cute symbols; they represent a new language for the digital age. 表情符號不只是可愛的符號，它們代表數位時代的一種新語言。
Where did emoji come from, and how did they catch on? 然而表情符號是從哪裡來的，又是如何變流行的呢？
About 30 years ago, people in the Western world started using punctuation to represent smiling, frowning, or winking faces. 大約在三十年前，西方世界的人們開始使用標點符號來呈現出笑臉、皺眉的委屈臉或是眨眼的臉。
These emoticons let others know if you were joking or not.
Soon, people in Japan began using kaomoji, a word which means "face" and "character."
不久後，日本人開始使用顏文字（kaomoji），這個字意思是「顏（臉龐）」和「文字」。
Instead of turning your head to read them like emoticons, you could read them in line with the text. 你可以像閱讀一行普通文字那樣來看這種顏文字，而不用像閱讀 emoticon 那樣歪著頭看。
Around 1999, emoji as we know them were born.
Japanese designer Kurita Shigetaka designed 176 emoji for Japan's biggest cellphone network. 日本設計師 Kurita Shigetaka 為日本最大的電信公司設計了176個表情符號。
These symbols represented ideas like weather, traffic, machines, buildings, and time. 這些符號表達了如天氣、交通、機器、建築和時間等的概念。
It was in 2011 that emoji spread overseas when Apple added them to international iPhones. 而在2011年時，當蘋果電腦公司將表情符號加入國際版的 iPhone 時，表情符號便傳播到海外。
digital ['drd3Itl ] adj.數位的
digital age 資訊時代
punctuation [ panktfu'ejan]n.標點符號
Emoji: A Language of Pictures
In 2010, the Unicode Consortium (Unicode) started making a universal standard for emoji across the US, Europe, and Japan. 2010年時，Unicode 聯盟開始制定美國、歐洲和日本通用的表情符號規範。
This makes sure each emoji design will work on different types of devices. 這樣做確保每一個表情符號的設計都能在不同型號的設備上使用。
It also takes new emoji into consideration each year and accepts more as the cultural vocabulary of emoji grows. Unicode 聯盟每年也會將新的表情符號列入考慮，且因為與文化有關的表情符號詞彙增加，他們也納入了更多種類。
Emoji are so widely used that in 2015, one became the Oxford English Dictionary's Word of the Year. 表情符號被廣泛地使用，以至於在2015年時有一個表情符號成為牛津字典的年度詞彙。
The "face with tears of joy" emoji was the first picture symbol to win the title. 這個笑到流出開心的眼淚的表情符號是第一個贏得此頭銜的圖案符號。
It was also the most commonly used emoji that year in the UK and US. 它也是該年度英國和美國最常被使用的表情符號。
To the delight of emoji users, a variety of emoji are available these days. 令表情符號使用者高興的是現在有各種表情符號可供使用，
These include a range of skin tones, hair colors, and types of food from various cultures. 其中包含很多種的膚色、髮色和來自各種文化的不同種食物。
There are also more emoji of female characters with traditionally male jobs like doctors and police officers. 另外也有越來越多的表情符號為女性角色做著傳統上男性的職業，如醫生和警察。
Emoji have become the new normal, 表情符號已成為新的常態，
and they help people communicate effectively without written language. 它們幫助人們在不用書寫文字的情況下有效率地溝通。
After all, a picture is worth a thousand words! 畢竟，一張圖片勝過千言萬語！
universal [ jun'v3s!] adj.全體的;共同的
device[dI'vars]n.設備;裝置
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